A Drastic Change In Life
by Yorugan
Summary: After his performance in the Sinnoh league Ash and other trainers his age (in my story 15) have to take a break in their journeys to learn about essentials they need for life as well as more about pokemon. Pearlshipping school story.
1. Chapter 1

**A Drastic Change In Life**

**Chaper 1: Last Days In Sinnoh**

"Pikachu, Volt Tackle give it your all!" yelled Ash as his trusty partner ran head on against Latios' powerful Luster Purge, engulfed in as much lightning energy as he could muster after this intense fight.

There is no way for Ash to still win this. Even if pikachu manages to defeat latios he'd have to go up against 4 more of Tobias' Pokemon, which are most likely all on a similar level to Darkrai and Latios. But Ash wouldn't go down without giving it everything he could.

Pikachu clashed with the pink ray of energy and with a lot of struggle slowly sliced through Latios attack until reaching the core of the beam. Upon contact a huge explosion covered the whole battlefield in dust and almost blew the two trainers away, but they stood their ground and waited for the dust to settle to see who had won this fierce battle.

After a few seconds the battlefield was visible again and revealed both Pokemon lying side by side.. unconcious. The referee walked up to the Pokemon to get a closer look if they were indeed unable to continue. He quickly saw that both fighters were out cold. "Both pokemon are unable to battle. Trainer Ash has no more pokemon left so the quarterfinal win goes to Tobias."Yelled the referree as he raised his right hand towards Tobias.

The crowd, which had silently watched the last, heated battle of the day errupted in huge cheers and applause.

Not carring for the loud people the two powerful trainers did the last thing left to do. Tobias pulled out a Pokeball from his belt. "Latios return. You did well out there, now take a rest." Tobias returned his Pokemon with a surprised look on his face. "_This was the first time someone managed to take out a Pokemon of mine. And he even managed to beat two. How interesting._" Tobias thought to himself. Ash then walked towards his Pikachu, his hat covering his eyes, tears clearly visible on his cheeks. He kneeled down beside his trusty partner. "You were amazing Pikachu. You managed to defeat a legendary Pokemon! Dont worry about the loss we'll get much stronger and win next time."

Ash tried his best to sound as confident as he could manage but his voice was raspy and shaking with sadness. The small yellow rodent knew how depressed ash was about that particular loss. "Pika-pi." said Pikachu weakly while giving Ash a thumbs up and a reassuring smile before falling unconcious again. "Take a good rest now Pikachu." he whispered as he stood up.

After standing up with his friend in his arms he noticed Tobias approaching him. Ash was a bit curious since he usually just leaves the battlefield after winning.

"That was a remarkable fight. Your Sceptile is exceptionally well trained and your Pikachu wields extraordinary power. They are truly outstanding and it's a shame that i didnt get to fight Infernape. I hope to face you again someday with your strongest possible team." As Tobias spoke he closed the gap between him and Ash and extended his hand towards the boy. Ash couldn't be mad at Tobias. He could see that he worked hard to reach the level he's at and behind his calm, confident facade was a nice person that cared for his Pokemon. The little speech he held wasnt out of pitty but respect he held for Ash. The younger trainer quickly whiped the tears from his face as he replied: "I've never met a trainer as strong as you. I'll accept your challenge anyday. And next time I'll win." then Ash shook Tobias hand and the crowd went wild again, showing their respect for the trainers and their Pokemon-Teams.

Everyone knew that this battle wont be topped, even in the finals. "I've checked your age after your battle with Paul and you're surprisingly young. It's sad that you have to pause your journey for the basic school now but I'll be waiting for the day you make your return as a trainer." Tobias smiled at him as he spoke. Ash simply nodded and thought about the school. The fact that he missed his last chance of winning the league for the next few years saddened him, but that had to wait. Right now his Pokemon needed healing and that had top priority.

After bidding their farewells they both headed towards the gates they entered the arena from. As ash looked up ahead he saw his friends already approaching him. Dawn and Brock came closer to ash with empathy visible in their eyes. They stopped a few feet apart from each other, as Ash looked down in shame.

"Sorry guys.. Ive lost." he fake-smiled as he said those words. His voice had an undeniable bitter tone that Dawn has never heard before. She really felt sorry for him but didnt exactly know what to say. Luckily this wasn't the first time that Brock sees ash like this and seemed confident in what he had to say. "Come on Ash don't be sad. You defeated 2 legendary pokemon in one battle. Everyone else didnt even manage to put a scratch on Tobias' Darkrai this whole tournament. You can be proud of yourself. Now lets bring your pokemon to nurse Joy, i bet they need some good treatment after those heavy attacks." Brock said with a confident smile. Ash nodded and they made their way to the pokemon center, fighting their way through fans and reporters.

After finally arriving at the center, thanks to lots of excuses and people feeling sorry and making way for Pikachu and Ash's other Pokemon to be treated, nurse Joy greeted the small group of friends and a few fans that were still following them with her signature smile. As Ash walked to the counter and handed his pokemon to the nurse, Dawn and Brock kindly begged the bystanders to give them some time and after a bit of annoyed arguing the small crowd left the gang alone.

"Ill take care of your pokemon, they should be in top condition again tomorrow." Nurse Joy informed ash with her usual happy voice as Chansey carried Ash's last pokemon, Pikachu, into the Treatment Room.

Ash simply thanked nurse joy and sat down on the nearest couch. Dawn and brock followed their friend and sat down beside him. The blue haired girl hasn't said a single word to Ash yet. She still didnt know what to say to make him feel better. As dawn continued thinking Brock stood up from the table. "Well guys I'll be getting some ingredients and food ready for our way back. Should take about an hour or so. Just try to rest a bit and don't overdo anything, we have a long day tomorrow." They watched as Brock left the center with his usual smile, fully focused on the duty at hand. Shor afer Ash continued sulking and Dawn was just siting there, trying to decide what to do.

Dawn decided to scoop a bit closer to Ash, hoping that he would say something that would make it easier for her to start a conversation. It felt weird seeing her mentor figure so quiet and his best friend Pikachu not being here made things even more unusual. The poor girl was still in thought trying to figure out what best to say in this situation as she got drawn out of her thoughts by the sound of whimpering. She couldnt believe what she saw. Ash was starting to cry and tried his hardest to keep his tears in.

Dawn first panicked as to what to do now. This never happened before. Should she leave him alone? Try to say something encouraging? But then she remembered what her mother always used to do when she was feeling down and on the verge of crying. The young girl turned to the raven haired trainer and pulled him into a hug. She was kind of nervous doing this for the first time but she felt that it was the right thing to do.

"Its ok to cry sometimes, Ash. I'm the only one here at the moment. Just let it out." she softly said. Ash, at first startled from Dawns sudden action, decided to not care. Not trying to hold it in and just cry like he hasn't done in a long time. He grabbed onto her shirt as he cried on his friends shoulder. He never allowed himself to look weak in front of his friends. They were usually following him so he had to take the leader position and be strong at all times. Bu he couldn't maintain it anymore. Just this once he'll allow himself to show weakness.

He heard Dawn speak up again. "You are always trying to be strong and protect me.. I mean us from danger. But everyone needs to let out their feelings from time to time. It makes us human." she told him with a motherly tone in her voice. She didnt know where those wise words came from but she was greatful that they popped into her mind. It felt like the right thing to say. Ash took a shaky, deep breath and started crying more.

"This was.. My last chance to win a league.. For the next few years. We'll attend the basic school from next year on and i haven't been able to win a single league throughout my five years of traveling. My team was so strong.. I performed the best i ever did.. WHY COULDNT I WIN?" He errupted once more and punched Dawn's leg weakly.

It was really heartbreaking to see him like this. One of the most enthusiastic people you could ever meet is breaking down in Dawn's Arms. She didn't know where her courage came from but decided to take of his hat, place it on the table and started stroking his hair. To bystanders they probably looked like a couple but she didn't care. If she felt like she could do something to make Ash feel better she would try do so right now.

Between his sobbing and uneven, heavy breathing it was a bit hard to make out what Ash was saying but Dawn understood every word. She was both shocked and relieved of Ash's emotional breakdown. She was shocked because she never saw her mentor broken like this but she was also greatful and honored that he trusted her enough to show her his vulnurable side.

"You are right, your team was incredible and you should have won this time. But the odds were against you and you had to face a very unusual opponent. That happens sometimes. Still, you did what few other people managed to do, beating legendary pokemon with normal ones. It might be hard for you to accept defeat for now but im sure you'll remember this as an overall success in the near future. Because it is." She reassured him, still stroking his hair.

After that they just sat there. Ash letting out his feelings and Dawn just being there for him, calmly stroking his hair. After a few more minutes of crying Ash let go of his friend and whiped away the remains of his tears. And then he proceeded to.. smile. A genuine bright smile that Dawn learned to appreciate throughout their journey. "Thanks Dawn, that felt good.." Then he put his hands behing his back, facing the ceiling above. "Aah i can't believe Tobias was that powerful. Was there even a reason for him to compete here in the first place?" Ash asked happily, scratching the back of his head. It was clear that he was trying to bring his own mood up but it wasn't dishonest or desperate. The loss still hurts him but he's still Ash and Ash Ketchum processed things quickly.

"Maybe he'll reveal his reason after crushing the last trainer in the finals. I'd be curious about his goals too." Dawn said jokingly with a smile, trying to play along with Ash's newfound good mood. But then Ash got a serious look in his eyes as he stood up, looking out the window, watching the sunset. "But you know.. I cant use Tobias overwhelming strength as an excuse for my loss. Don't worry im not that sad because of it anymore but still. What if something like that happens again in the future?" Ash then punched into the direction he's facing. "He isn't the only incredibly strong trainer out there. This loss was an important eye opener. I'll become strong enough to defeat any opponent. Otherwise i don't have the right to call myself a Pokemon master, right?" He turned around and looked at dawn with shining, confident eyes.

Dawn just looked at ash with a blank expression. He grasped his situation and controll over his emotions so quickly. "Exactly, so never give up." She answered him happily with a thumbs up. Then Ash sat down beside her again and started talking about the battle in more detail. But Dawn didn't listen. She was in thought, mesmerized by Ash's incredible Persnality. "_Alot of people would mistakenly write Ash off as childish, but thats just his enthusiastic, curious nature. If you spend enough time with him anyone can see that he's an intelligent and very driven person who won't let anyone or anything stop him from achieving his dreams. Thats why everyone likes him.. Thats.. why i love him._" Dawn thought to herself with a slight blush on her cheeks. Ash noticed that Dawn wasn't listening and just staring past him.

"Dawn is something wrong?" He asked. But Dawn took him by surprise as she took the boys hand into her own two and looked into his eyes with her own determined gaze. "Dont worry we'll ace that school in no time and continue our journey. I'll come with you and we'll both fulfill our dreams.. Pokemon master and top coordinator. Noone will be able to stop us when we come back!"

Ash was startled by her sudden change in expression and topic but quickly recovered and looked at her with his usual confidence. "Yea, let's do this!"

**_Okey so that wraps up Chapter one. Did you like it? If you're wondering about that basic school thing ill explain the concept and everything you need to know in detail next chapter. This will be an AU school story with pearlshipping as the main focus but i wanted to have a cool prologue that makes (hopefully) some sense instead of just starting out in the school and info dumb everything on readers in an unnatural way. So, thanks for reading, please leave a comment if you so desire and have a nice day ^^_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Last Days In Sinnoh 2**

As Ash started being his usual, high-spirited self again the whole Pokemon Center seemed to have a brightened athmosphere to it. The sun had already settled and the first few people started heading to their rooms, aswell as the pokemon that still waited for their trainers.

Dawn and Ash were still sitting at the same table, waiting for their third party member to arrive.

"Brock should be here any minute now. Any idea what we could do to pass the time?" Dawn asked, looking at Ash. The boy didn't pay attention though. He just sat there, arms crossed seemingly lost in thought.

"Ash?" Dawn asked him again, a little annoyed of him ignoring her.

"Oh i just can't decide." He exclaimed in an overly dramatic and loud manner, throwing his hands into the air. "What do you mean?" The girl was confused by his sudden outburst. They've been sitting there for a while. Could she have missed something?

Ash then sat up straight and crossed his arms again. "Well it's clear that i'll take Pikachu to the school but i don't know who'll be my second partner. Every Pokemon i own is a special friend in it's own way. It's almost unfair to let me decide that." Ash explained with an annoyed look on his face.

Dawn seemed relieved. She didn't miss anything, Ash just randomly chose a topic to talk about.

"Ah that's what you're talking about?" The bluenette sat up, looking through the window. "It really sucks that we can only take 2 Pokemon with us. So i've already decided a while ago to take Pachirisu and Buneary with me."

Ash looked at her, visibly confused. "You're not taking Piplup with you?" He asked her. It was clear as day that Ash would take Pikachu with him and he kind of expected any other trainer to take their starters as well. It just seemed logical.

"Yea.. I already talked with Piplup about it some time ago. Out of all my Pokemon he was with me for the longest time." She fiddled with her fingers, seemingly uncertain if that is the right decision to make. "I just want to bond with my other Pokemon more you know. Also it's not like we can't swap them out you know. But i can see why its so difficult for you. I only have 6 Pokemon so getting to spend time with each will be easy but you have like 20 Pokemon, not including your herd of Taurus. " Dawn couldn't even imagine what this situation would feel like for someone with over a hundred Pokemon.

"I know but it still seems like something important to decide. Just a feeling in my belly." He smiled at her, rubbing his nose.

Dawn smiled at that. Ash was always someone who had a sixth sense to feel if something important was about to happen but he usually never has that feeling in a decision making situation.

"Anyway was Piplup ok with it?" he asked, concerned with how the little penguin Pokemon might have reacted to news like that. Especially since Ash knew that he loved being in the center of attention.

"It went really well surprisingly enough." Dawn said as she crossed her legs. "He looked a bit sad at first but he likes my other Pokemon just as much as i do you know. He want's them to be happy." Dawn had a proud look in her eyes as she talked about her starter Pokemon.

"Well im glad to hear that. As much as he sometimes pretends to be a diva he's still quite a selfless little guy." Ash smiled at the thought of the little Water type he's grown to love over the course of his Sinnoh journey.

"Hey Dawn do you think.." Just as Ash was about to change the topic Dawn's poketch started ringing. "It's Brock." She informed Ash after a quick look at her multifunctional watch. (Authors Note: that sounds so stupid but ill leave it in xD)

"Hey Brock what's up?" Dawn asked, wondering why he might call her. Ash came closer to hear the conversation.

There was some noise in the background and Brock sounded exhausted. "Well after buying the stuff i needed i noticed a weird smell in the air. As i looked to the right i saw pokemon running away from a burning forest nearby. I and most people nearby volunteered to rescue every Person and Pokemon we could find."

Dawn and Ash let Brock finish his story but both looked shocked because of the accident.

"Tell us where you are we'll come right away and help you out." Ash said with a serious tone and Dawn nodded in agreement.

"That won't be necessary." Brock said, a reassuring smile on his face. "We've been able to safe every Pokemon and a few people from the forest and took out the fire thanks to a lot of water Pokemon. So the danger is pretty much over."

Dawn and Ash looked reliefed after hearing the good news. "Does that mean you're on your way back?" The girl asked her older companion.

"Well there are still some hurt Pokemon at the shelter we made and nurse Joy needs more capable people that know about pokemon and medicine. So i told her i'd stay the night and help out. But that doesn't change our plans at all. Just rest and we''ll plan our next step as soon as i'm back. Should be by tomorrow noon." Brock replied in his usual confident way.

"That said i'm needed so i have to hang up now. Goodnight you two." After giving Brock their farewells the connection endet leaving Ash and Dawn on their own again.

"You think Brock will be alright? Maybe we should go and help him." Dawn asked, clearly worried for both the hurt Pokemon and her friend.

But to Dawns surprise Ash had a smile on his face as he stood up from the table. "Brock's not the type of person that would risk someones safety because of his pride. If he needed our help he would have asked us to come. So don't worry he's got everything under control." He replied.

Dawn always adored these moments of admiration and trusting friendship between those two. Her more experienced friends traveled together for far longer then she did and they know exactly what's on each others mind. Dawn hoped to have that kind of connection with Ash someday.

"Come on now it's getting late we should get some sleep." Ash said as he made his way to the counter with Dawn following close behind.

Nurse Joy noticed the young teens approaching and took her usual position behind the desk. "Hello again. Can i help you?" Once at the counter Nurse Joy greeted them once again with her enthusiastic personality.

"Hi. I haven't introduced myself yet I'm Ash Ketchum. The higher ups of the Sinnoh league should have reserved a room with 3 beds on my name."

After hearing his name nurse Joy seemed to remember something.

"Ah i knew you looked familiar you're the Person who fought the intense battle with Paul the other day and the exciting match against Tobias just a few hours ago, right? I was wondering why you were crying that much before. Don't worry too much you did great out there." She tried to reassure him, clearly not seeing that this might hurt more then do any good. "Wait just a second i'll look into your room situation."

Ash's face took on the color of a tomato as he whispered to Dawn: "You said there was noone here besides us." He sounded furious but Dawn could just laugh seeing Ash's embarrassed face.

"Well i didn't lie but nurse Joy came back from the treatment room after a while." Dawn said, raising her hands defensively in front of her face. Just as Ash was about to say something Nurse Joy got Dawn out of trouble.

"Yes there's a room with 3 beds on Ash Ketchums name here. But since you came quite late we took one of those beds for a larger pokemon that we didn't have enough space for." Nurse Joy informed the two trainers apologetically.

"That's not a problem. The third member of our group won't be able to come back today anyway." Dawn told nurse Joy.

Joy seemed to cheer up after that response. "Well what a lucky coincidence. Heres your key. It's room 44 on the first floor. I hope you enjoy your stay." Joy then turned over the keys and the duo started making their way towards the designated room.

After walking through the halls they opened the door and were greeted by a fairly normal P-Center room. There was a lamp on the right side of the door, 2 beds on the right side of the room with a small shelf between the beds and a mirrow above it.

On the left side was a single door leading to the bathroom and a window on the opposite side of the entrance with a heater below. It probably won't see much use at this time of the year though.

Ash immideately jumped face first onto his bed and stretched himself out. A lot has happened and the hectic pace of the day made his body forget how tired he actually was.

Dawn made her way to the other bed closer to the entrance door and laid her beg on the ground beside it.

At the beginning of her journey Dawn found these P-Center rooms to be extremely dull and always begged the boys to go to a hotel instead but after sleeping on the cold ground so many times the comfy beds and simple nature of this room have really grown on the young teenager. She always got a feeling of being home when setting foot in one.

After settling down she got her nightgown and a brush out of her bag and made her way towards the bathroom door.

"Hey Ash i'll take a shower first, you ok with that?" She asked her companion while turning the bathroom doorhandle. "Mhmm." he mumbled into his pillow. Ash is quite the capable person but tends to be pretty useless when tired.

Dawn then got in, locked the door and started taking her clothes off. She then looked in the mirrow with a smile. She liked the effect the tough journey had on her body. She is slim and a bit toned but not scrawny or too muscular by any means. She always believed herself to be quite pretty. Sometimes people take that as narcistic but to Dawn it's not too serious and just a bit of self confidence.

She proceeded to take her hairclips off and got into the shower. As she turned the handle warm water flowed over her hair and body and she started her usual washing routine.

On the other side of the door Ash had turned onto his back. His hands were tucked behind his head, his hat on the small shelf between the beds and he looked at the ceiling with a serious look on his face.

He then turned to his bag and took out an information letter he got from the basic school a few months back. "I didn't want to read this. I thought i didn't need to since i'd be a champ anyway. Thats probably the punishment for my arrogance.'' Ash sat up on his bed and opened the letter while muttering: ''Maybe i should have become a frontier brain when i had the chance.'' He smiled at the thought before concentrating on the piece of paper in his hands.

He then read the letter in a mocking voice that he believed the principal to have: "Dear Ash Ketchum. Congratulations for your achievements as a trainer.

You've gotten quite far as a trainer in a very short ammount of time and we believe that you are one of the most talented battlers of this generation.

But we sadly cannot fulfill your wish and bend the rules towards your favor.

As you must already know every person that hasn't achieved a paid status (for example: gym leader, champion..) must go to the basic school for 3 years once they turn 15 to, for one, deepen their knowledge of pokemon and secondly, learn about the parts of the world that don't work together with pokemon.

You'll live in a room with 3 other individuals. Every trainer is allowed to keep 2 pokemon with them, which can be (and are adviced to be) changed once per week.

This school was made to teach the next generation about the world around, effectively raising our future and is thus completely free of charge, as are the 3 meals per day.

Though the school is located on an island specifically chosen for this purpose there are still shops of all kinds. The ware in these however has to pe paid for with your own money.

There will be ways to earn money on the island but more about that will be explained later on.

If your status as a trainer changes, please inform us immediately so we can cut your name from the students list.

Thanks for reading and we hope that you'll have a wonderfull time.

P.S. I'm glad we get to spend some more time together Ash :)

Principal Cynthia

Ash then stopped with his mocking voice and stared at the name he just read. but he quickly gained his composure and started packing the letter into his bag again. "At least Cynthia's the principal. Maybe it won't be too bad." Ash thought to himself.

Just as he put away the letter he heard the turning of a key and Dawn entered the room in her typical nightgown, which is a long pink shirt that goes all the way down to her knees.

"Ok your turn." She said as she sat down on her bed and started towel drying her hair.

Ash stood up and made his way to the bathroom Dawn just imerged from.

"Oh, Dawn?'' She stopped drying her hair to look at her companion.

''I really despise school and learning and all that stuff but you know what? I'm really happy you'll be there with me." He said with a toothy grin right before he entered the bathroom.

Dawn stared at the door that Ash had just locked. She then continued to dry her hair with a slight blush. "You idiot girls might get the wrong idea if you tell them something like that." She said to herself as she again stopped drying her hair to feel her chest and her heart beating faster then usual. She smiled in dried her hair again. "I'm also happy to spend more time with you, Ashy."

Some time passed and after Ash got out of the bathroom the 2 discussed their plans for tomorrow before going to bed and trying to get as much sleep as possible.

...

"Hey Ash, how much further is it?" Dawn asked her Friend as they made their way through a grassy path. Dawn didn't remember how they got their but just went on anyway. The boy hasn't responded yet. He stopped dead in his tracks and remained silent. His hat covering his eyes.

Dawn stopped as well. And looked back at her companion. What's gotten into him? "Ash, you alright?" No response. She walked up to him and stretched her hand out to touch his shoulder. "Ash what is.." as soon as she touches him he turns to dust, his hat still intact and falling to the ground.

"Ash what.. Where are you. Ash.. ASH." Her voice got more and more desperate and her eyes started filling with tears.

"No i gotta stay calm.'' She tried to remain cool. This isn't the time to lose your nerves.. yet.

I'll just get my Pokemon out we'll find out what happened." She then grabbed all of her Pokeballs and threw them out. Piplup, Pachirisu, Buneary, Togekiss, Quilava and Mamoswine all materialized. But none of them made any kind of noise. They were just standing there, staring at Dawn.

The girl wasn't sure why her Pokemon behaved so strangely but it had to wait. "Ok guys Ash just disappeared and we have to.." Dawn, again, couln't finish her sentence. All of her Pokemon disappeared as well. She was starting to lose her composure.

"No way." She had a look of pure terror and fear in her eyes as she fell onto her knees.

"Ash, Brock, Piplup, all of you guys.. Where are you?"

She asked into nothingness. Whereever she looked there was a vast green field with nothing but grass as far as she could look. She was getting more desperate and completely crying right now. She stretched her shaking hands out to Ash's hat. It didn't disappear but as soon as she touched it the whole field of grass turned black as the sky turned dark.

Shaken with fear and with nowhere to run she just pressed Ash's hat onto her chest. Then she noticed a small red light in the sky. As she tried to see what it might be it got closer and closer untill she saw the full form of Giratina closing in on her with glowing red eyes.

Dawn, paralyzed with fear couldn't do anything. It was over. This is it. All alone with Giratina charging at her. There was no hope left. Just before Giratina was about to hit her she screamed in terror as she woke up in her bed. Tears and sweat visible all over her face. A nightmare.

...

Dawn looked down at hands. She couldn't see much in the dim light of the moon but her hands were shaking. That was the scarriest dream she ever had.

"Dawn?" She heard Ash in the other bed groggily getting up and trying to get a hold of his surroundings and senses.

She didn't know what came over her but she immediately ran over and jumped into Ash's arms.

"Whoah Dawn what.." he didn't comtinue his sentence. She was trembling with fear. He quickly made himself fully awake and hugged her back.

"Ash.. Please don't ever leave me alone." She muttered in the most hopeless voice Ash had ever heard from her, tears falling from her eyes.

That never happened before. Was that how Dawn felt like when he broke down? He knew he had to say something and it had to be something effective to calm her down. So he decided to answer what she just said.

"You know I'd never leave you Dawn. We're a team. You, me, Brock, all our Pokemon. We'll always be there for you. And if all else fails i'll be there for you. No need to worry." He answered calmly as he stroked her silky hair. Dawn continued crying and even though Ash couldn't see it she was moved by his words and started calming down as a result.

After a little longer they let go off each other with Ash sitting and Dawn kneeling on his bed.

Dawn had one wish right now but how could she ask him something like that? She decided to just do it. It's Ash he would never laugh at her. "Ash i'm still scared." She told him nervously. "Would you mind.. If i slept together with you. Just for this one night?"

_'What am i doing. That's so embarrassing. What is he going to think of me now.'_ She thought to herself a heavy blush on her face, conveniantely hidden by darkness. Saying it out loud was even more embarrassing then in her thoughts.

"Sure, i don't mind." Ash answered carefree.

Dawn was speechless. 'That's it? He just accepts like that?'

Ash then locked eyes with her. It was dark but she could still make out his compassionate, brown eyes. "I know how you feel like. I used to have some heavy nightmares when i was a kid and i used to sleep in my mothers bed a lot of times. We're alone on our journey so it's hard to have motherly support like that. But If you're okay with me i'll gladly take that role and help you whenever you need it." he answered with a caring smile as he started holding her hands.

Dawn's worries and fear just faded away.

_'This is pure Ash Ketchum. This was the cutest thing he, or anyone ever said to me. And he doesn't even realize it.' _She thought. There was nothing to worry or think about anymore.

She crawled past him and layed down on the right side of the bed with Ash joining her on the left and pulling the blanket over them. "Good night Dawn." he told her with closed eyes, facing her direction.

Dawn was restless though. She already got what she wanted but she wanted just a bit more. That was way easier then anticipated. Maybe she could be selfish, just this once.

"Hey Ash i'm afraid. Could you maybe.. Hug me while we sleep." She asked him in a whisper.

Ash seemed to be taken aback for a short moment but started smiling. "Sure, i don't mind." He answered her. He then scooped a bit closer to Dawn and did as she asked him to, putting his arms around her and pulling her closer to him. Ash's eyes were closed again and Dawn was overjoyed as she snuggled into his Chest.

_'Maybe his obliviousness wasn't always bad.' _She thought with a happy smile.

She brought her hand to her chest again and her heart was beating like crazy. Ash didn't seem to notice though as he had already fallen asleep.

'This might just be the best day of my life.' Dawn smiled as she tried to think of a better moment, which she couldn't. She looked up at Ash's adorable, sleeping face and positioned herself a bit higher to kiss him on the cheek.

''Good night, Ashy.''

**Soooo, thats it. The story is progressing kinda slowly but right now i just wanna write whats on my mind and try to flesh the charakters out so forgive the terrible pacing xD The cheesy end is a referance to the pearlshipping one shot ''I don't mind'' which is a fantastic, fluffy, cute fanfic that id recommend every pearlshipping fan to read. Its short and well written so give it some love 3. i also dont have an upload schedule so if you actually care about my shit youll have to follow it somehow (i dont know how works but i think thats possible) but ill try not to have month long pauses if i can. thats all, i hope you enjoyed it if you have something story related to say just comment it ill most likely answer it and if theres something not story related you can ask me anything your little heart desires (in my pms though id like the comments here to stay story focused). Have a nice time ^^**


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